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able

adj
/ˈeɪ.bl̩/US/ˈeɪ̯.bw/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰéh₁yeti Proto-Italic *haβēō Latin habeō Proto-Indo-European *-elis Proto-Italic *-elis Latin -ilis Latin habilis Old French ablebor. Middle English able English able From Middle English able, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis (“easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”). Doublet of habile.

  1. derived from habilis — “easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”
  2. derived from abile
  3. derived from able
  4. inherited from able

Definitions

  1. Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.

    • She is able to lift the box without assistance.

  2. Free from constraints preventing completion of task

    Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from.

    • In a democratic world you'd be able to say what you thought wherever you were.
    • I'll see you as soon as I'm able.
    • With that obstacle removed, I am now able to proceed with my plan.

  3. Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence.

    • The chairman was also an able sailor.
    • Urania speaks with darken’d brow: ⁠‘Thou pratest here where thou art least; ⁠This faith has many a purer priest, And many an abler voice than thou: […]’
  4. ›+ 17 more definitions

    1. Legally qualified or competent.

      • He is able to practice law in six states.

    2. Capable of performing all the requisite duties

      Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman.

    3. Having the physical strength

      Having the physical strength; robust; healthy.

      • After the past week of forced marches, only half the men are fully able.

    4. Easy to use.

      • As the hands are the most habil parts of the body...

    5. Suitable

      Suitable; competent.

      • […] and for every able man servant that he or she shall carry or send armed and provided as aforesaid, ninety acres of land of like measure.

    6. Liable to.

    7. Rich

      Rich; well-to-do.

      • He was born to an able family.

    8. To make ready.

    9. To make capable

      To make capable; to enable.

    10. To dress.

    11. To give power to

      To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm.

    12. To vouch for

      To vouch for; to guarantee.

      • None does offend, none....I’ll able ’em.

    13. present participle and gerund of can

      • I might be able to go.
      • I have been able to go, since I was seven.
      • I had been able to go before.

    14. The letter "A" in Navy Phonetic Alphabet.

    15. radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter A.

    16. A surname.

    17. Acronym of Achieving a Better Life Experience, a savings account for people with…

      Acronym of Achieving a Better Life Experience, a savings account for people with disabilities.

      • This provision permanently allows designated beneficiaries who make qualified contributions to their ABLE account to qualify for the Saver’s Credit.

The neighborhood

Derived

ability, able-bodied, able-bodism, able-bodyism, able-bodyist, ableism, ableist, able-minded, ablenationalism, ablenationalist, ableness, ablenormative, ablenormativity, able rating, able seaman, ablesplain, able whackets, ablings, ably, aiblins, be able, differently able, disability, disable, disabled, disablism, enable, inable, reablement, transableism, unable, abled

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for able. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA